Crores of tax payers money has gone down the drain
Ritesh Gupta
JAMMU. Sept 30: Con-structed on 30 kanals of land four years back, the Bhagwati Nagar Amusement Park is totally in shambles at present and has become a den of anti social ele-ments. drug addicts and drunkards.
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Sources said the roaming of anti social elements and drunk-ards in the park has also created a public nuisance turning the life of people in surrounding areas into hell.
Sources said crores of rupees were spent on the construction of the park on which work was started in 2015 and completed in 2021. There was a huge footfall in the park and people from Bhagwati Nagar and surrounding areas used to visit there along with their children and other family members. But the park has now totally been abandoned by the Tourism Department which had constructed it and was also as-signed with the task of maintaining it, sources added.
Sources said the Department had installed steel railing, com-fortable chairs, costly fittings in bathrooms and toilets, fans, power cooler and other gadgets. For greenery of the park, costly plants and fruit yielding trees were planted so that the local people and the visitors get better environment.
Sources said the present con-dition in the park is that neither there is any greenery left nor there is any sign of basic facili-ties which were provided there.
Sources said that situation in the park has deteriorated to such an extent that the place where earlier people used to visit with their families and children has become a den of anti social elements. The locals said that it has become safe haven for drunkards, drug addicts and anti social elements and on the fall of dusk people feel unsafe while moving via this area.
Sources said that thieves have stolen all costly items installed in the park including iron goods and bathroom fittings. The coolers installed for cold water have also been stolen.
Sources said during Amamath Ji pilgrimage this year the CRPF brought for yatra security was kept in the two storeyed building of the park and it was running properly by that time but after that the destruction of its infrastructure started through the hands of anti social elements.
Sources said if this park is turned in total ruins, this will be a great cheating with the people of Jammu. The people are demanding that this park be restored immediately and thrown open to public.
The residents while showing their concern over the failure of the Tourism Department in maintaining the park alleged that this entire money has gone down the drain as the park has totally become useless and it has no public utility now.
The people who used to visit the park earlier even do not dare to go near by it fearing a trouble and humiliation from anti social elements who have converted it into their safe heaven. The bathroom fittings in the palatial office building have either been broken or stolen, doors, sinks, wash basins and commodes have been broken. Water fittings stolen and everything is lying in shambles, courtesy Tourism Department which has constructed the Amusement Park and which was assigned the duty of maintaining it.
However, after construction of park, the department abandoned it and did not maintain it for public use, said Shail Sharma a social activist. He said this way huge money of tax payers has been wasted and there is no ac-countability on the part of the Government as nobody is ready to share the responsibility.
He said if the Tourism De-partment is unable to look after the park, the Department should handover it to any other Depart-ment hut not allow the public money to go down the drain. It is even bigger than Maharaja Hari Singh Park but due to inefficiency of the Department it is in shambles at present, he added.
If this park was not to be maintained why the tax payers money was wasted?” asked Sahil.
Talvinder Singh, another local resident said this park is now a safe haven for anti national el-ements and has turned the lives of nearby people into hell. The women and girls can’t move nearby the area as the anti social elements, drug addicts and drunkards start pouring there with dusk.
Sucha Singh, an ex Coprorator of the area said High Mast lights, water coolers etc are now missing even doors and tile work have been broken. “I have taken up the issue with the local MLA Arvind Gupta also and appealed him to take up the issue in the coming session of Assembly.” he added.
He said twice tenders for renovation worth Rs 2.5 crore were called but later abandoned for unknown reasons. He also made an appeal to Lt Governor, Manoj Sinha seeking his intervention in the matter.
However. Director Tourism. Dr Vikas Gupta said that the De-partment has outsourced the park and he will look into the matter why they have failed to maintain it properly.
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